News and Information

New Publications Available from NAPA

July 18, 2008 - NAPA has released several new publications, including Rubblization, Guidelines for the Use of HMA Overlays to Rehabilitate PCC Pavements, and Design of Hot Mix Asphalt Pavements for Commercial, Industrial and Residential. To purchase these and other titles, visit the NAPA online Bookstore.

Downtown Connector project in Atlanta proceeds with SMA and weekend closures.

Atlanta, GA - June 16, 2008 - The merging of I-75 and I-85 in downtown Atlanta carries more than 250,000 vehicles per day, making it one of the busiest highways in America. These highways carry commuters to work daily and visitors to special events like Atlanta Braves baseball games at Turner Field. Traffic planners decided to use SMA for durability and to limit future construction. They have also called for weekend closures of the road to speed up construction. GAPA Member E.R. Snell Contractor Inc. will be using 168,000 tons of mix on the project, which calls for milling as much as 8.25 inches of the old road and replacing it with SMA and a porous mix as the surface course. "We have paved with SMA a lot and it is very durable, said Jimmy Camp, the company's executive vice president. "The DOT believes that because we are using SMA, future projects will require only micro milling for the surface course, leaving the SMA in place, saving time and money." The 4.8-mile-project is approximately 50% complete.

GAPA Contractors Recognized for Quality Construction

Athens, GA - As the highlight of the Georgia Partnership for Transportation Quality (GPTQ) Conference held in Athens, five members of the Georgia Asphalt Pavement Association and two Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) Districts were honored with Quality Construction Awards for 2007. E.R. Snell Contractor was honored in two categories. The Overall Smoothness Contractor Award and the Smoothness for Asphaltic Concrete - New Construction Award along with GDOT District 1, Area 6 after achieving a 449 smoothness index for 21 lane miles. Pittman Construction Company was recognized in the Smoothness for Asphaltic Concrete – Resurfacing Award category along with GDOT District 1, Area 6 after achieving a 47% improvement in smoothness of 503. C.W. Matthews Contracting received the Smoothness for Asphaltic Concrete – Open Graded Mixes category along with GDOT District 6, Area 1 by producing an average smoothness rating of 525. The Quality Control Award was awarded to Sloan Construction, Tugalo Division for outstanding quality control rating of 95.64 in 2007. Carnes Construction Company was recognized for Quality Construction – Surface Treatment along with GDOT District 1, Area 3 after achieving a rating of 9.7 for 6million square yards of surface treatment.

Read more about the 2007 Quality Construction Awards

Plants Emphasize Quality in Learning
- Diamond Achievement Commendations

Each year more than 600 asphalt plants fulfill the rigorous requirements of NAPA’s Diamond Achievement Commendation. The employees that participate find that the process improves the facility, their approach to quality, and their relationship with the surrounding community. LTM Inc.– Roseburg Division., C.W. Matthews Contracting Company, and Superior Paving are three of the companies whose plants completed the process for this commendation.

Click here to read an article by Mary Lou Jay from Hot Mix Asphalt Technology - Jan/Feb 2008

New Web Site for Warm Mix

The FHWA/NAPA Technical Working Group (TWG) on warm-mix asphalt announces its new Web site at www.warmmixasphalt.com. The new site, which is underwritten by NAPA and the State Asphalt Pavement Associations, provides a wealth of information on warm mix. The user is able to view PowerPoint presentations, download publications, and review the TWG-approved testing frameworks for both material properties and environmental impacts. Links to the technology providers are also included.

TRIP Generates Statewide News Coverage of
Georgia's Transportation Funding Shortfall

With the cooperation of the Georgia DOT and funding from the Georgia Highway Contractors Association (GHCA), TRIP teamed up with Georgians for Better Transportation (GBT) to release a new report at a news conference in Atlanta. The report, entitled "Future Mobility in Georgia: Meeting the State's Need for Safe and Efficient Mobility, "evaluates road and bridge conditions, traffic safety, congestion, and transportation funding in Georgia. The report found that Georgia faces a $51 billion transportation funding shortfall through 2035 and listed needed, but unfunded, transportation projects throughout the state. Also included in the report are lists of the most congested routes in the Atlanta metro area and the most deficient bridges in Atlanta and statewide. News coverage was extensive and statewide. State Transportation Board Chairman Mike Evans, who participated in the news conference, was quoted as saying, "I hope that this is the year that we can bear down and all of us come together to find a solution to the problem." Click here to view media coverage.

Asphalt Costs Rise Less Than Concrete, Says DOT Report

The U.S. Department of Transportation has recently released a report studying the significant growth in cost of materials used for highway projects. The report found that overall highway construction and maintenance costs nationwide grew about three times faster from 2003 through 2006 than during any three-year period between 1990 and 2003, substantially reducing the purchasing power of highway funds. The report leaned heavily on cost data obtained from the following states to arrive at its conclusions: California, Colorado, Georgia, Nebraska, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, and Washington. The report shows that the cost of asphalt has risen less than the cost of concrete. The "Growth in Highway Construction and Maintenance" charts at the end of the report contain cost comparisons of the various materials, including asphalt, concrete, aggregate, and steel. Click here to view the report.

GAPA Members Continued Commitment
Earns Environmental Excellence Commendation

Lanham, MD – The National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA) has announced its recipients of the coveted Diamond Achievement Commendation for Excellence in Hot-Mix Asphalt Plant/Site Operations. The Commendation is designed to recognize hot-mix asphalt (HMA) production facilities that operate in an exemplary manner.

Earning the Diamond Achievement Award are six Georgia Asphalt Pavement Association Members.

APAC- Southeast, Inc. First Coast Division
CW Matthews Contracting, Inc.
Reeves Construction Company, Inc.
The Scruggs Company, Inc.
Seaboard Construction Company, Inc.
Tugalo Construction Company, Inc.

“Earning the Diamond Achievement Commendation serves as a signal to neighbors that an HMA facility is a good neighbor,” commented NAPA Chairman Ronald W. White. “ The assessment process addresses six aspects of the plant site: appearance, operations, environmental practices, safety, permitting and compliance, and community relations. By earning the Diamond Achievement Commendation these six local Georgia Contractors have shown the community they will go the extra mile to insure excellence.”

HMA Roadmap

October 1, 2007 — The National Asphalt Roadmap is the result of public-private partnership and presents the shared vision of the Asphalt Community for research and technology in the field of asphalt pavement and material technologies. To download the Roadmap from NAPA, please click here.

Airfield Asphalt Pavement Technology Program

The AAPTP delivers applied research on asphalt airfield pavements that provides high quality, cost-effective asphalt pavements. Research projects will be focused on improving quality of hot mix asphalt (HMA), reducing costs, improving safety and providing training on HMA materials. Check The Education/Training section of our site for more information.

Clean Air & Cool Cities
Lower Greenhouse Gases, Lower Fuel Consumption

The National Asphalt Pavement Association discusses how production and placement of asphalt pavements consumes less fuel and produces lower levels of greenhouse gases. (read article)

Dykes Named NAPA Representative

September 13, 2007 — The Georgia Asphalt Pavement Association is proud to announce that Jim Dykes, President of Dykes Paving and Construction has been elected to represent Georgia as the State Director within the National Asphalt Pavement Association. As the State Director, Mr. Dykes will sit on the Board of Directors and various committees that will focus on advancing the Asphalt Industry. Mr. Dykes’ term will begin on January 28, 2008. Mr. Dykes will be following Jimmy Camp, Vice President of E.R. Snell Contractor, Inc. Mr. Camp has served the Asphalt Industry in Georgia with distinction for the past three years and a special thanks is extended to Mr. Camp for his all of his hard work.

Calendar of Events

July 28-30, 2008

NAPA's Midyear Meeting

The Antlers Hilton, Colorado Springs, CO
Contact Nancy Lawler (nlawler@hotmix.org)

November 11-13, 2008

International Conference on Warm-Mix Asphalt

Sponsored by FHWA and NAPA
Marriott Nashville Airport Hotel, Nashville, TN
Contact Nancy Lawler nlawler@hotmix.org

November 17-20, 2008

SEAUPG 2008 Annual Meeting & Exhibits

The Winfrey Hotel at The Riverchase Galleria, Birmingham AL

January 18-21, 2009

NAPA's 54th Annual Meeting

San Diego Marriott — San Diego, California
Contact Nancy Lawler nlawler@hotmix.org

March 9-12, 2009

World of Asphalt 2009 Show & Conference

Orlando's Orange County Convention Center, Florida
Visit www.worldofasphalt.com